Woman dies after contact with sick horse

This is a horse lover's worst nightmare: according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, a woman died after coming in contact with a sick horse.

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A 71-year-old woman was visiting her 37-year-old daughter at her horse boarding and riding center in Washington in late February of this year. While there, her daughter and one of two horses experienced symptoms of an infection. The woman herself soon developed symptoms as well.

Both her daughter and the horse recovered with antibiotics, but unfortunately the woman passed away on March 3.

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Samples from the woman, her daughter and the two horses were taken; all but one horse tested positively for an infection called Streptococcus zooepidemicus.

The CDC report noted, "although S. zooepidemicus is a rare zoonotic pathogen in humans, older persons might be at increased risk for a fatal outcome from this infection." They recommend that people in contact with animals should thoroughly wash hands after contact.